A Birthday We'll Never Forget

I'm not exactly sure how Lindsey's birthday celebration got so big. Maybe it's because her birthday party was Saturday but her actual birthday was Monday, so the entire celebration got stretched out over a three days. Perhaps it's because she's got her parents wrapped around her finger, I'm not sure.

But it was certainly memorable.

Her party was...well, crazy. We had it at a toy store called Kiddywampus -- they have a huge party room in the back where her party was held, and the woman who ran the party owns a business called Creative Science. The kids made UV color-changing bracelets.

They made crystal balls from dry ice along with film canister rockets with vinegar and alka seltzer.

The highlight was a Mentos Diet Coke geyser that took place in the parking lot (Here are all the kids lined up ready to watch the Mentos geyser. It's the only chance I had to catch them all in one place and standing still.)

It was insane.

After the party planner left, it got even crazier, and Wayne and I couldn't keep everybody under control. In hindsight we should've not had the gift opening at the place and just taken the gifts home to open them. But we decided to cram it in the last 10 minutes of the party, and the kids were so hyped up that every piece of tissue paper that got pulled out of a bag was instantly shredded by 10 little girls and two boys.

One of the kids was supposed to go home with a different mom but that mom forgot him in her haste to leave with her own child in tow. Thankfully we live only a couple of blocks from his house and delivered him safely home. (The mom who was supposed to bring him home felt TERRIBLE, in case you were wondering.)

And as we attempted to clean up the room, I said to one of the workers there, "Have you ever seen a party get so out of hand?" and she answered truthfully, "No, no I haven't."

Oops, guess we won't be invited back THERE again.

But the reviews from the kids the next day were fantastic -- they all had a great time, and no one was injured in all the festivities. I can't say the same for the parties I've been to, though those were different kinds of parties and I was much older and should've known better.

Uh, what was that? Never mind.

Today, on Lindsey's actual birthday, we went to a restaurant called Chatterbox for dinner, just a few blocks from our house. It's a pretty funny restaurant, they have kitchy wall decor on the walls -- paintings and decorations you would find in your grandma's house. And they have tons of vintage games; the original Battleship, Connect Four, Jenga, Operation, Rack-o (does anybody else remember Rack-o?). We got a game or two in before dinner came.

I must credit our youngest daughter, Marissa, for her patience and kindness. Throughout the party and all the hoopla on Saturday she was the sweetest most patient child. When all the 7-year-olds were clamoring for cake, she stood there patiently and simply waited for a piece. She was rewarded for her patience by being the last one served, poor thing. When everyone else was being crazy about unwrapping the gifts, she simply sat on the floor as directed, criss-cross applesauce hands in her lap. She sat and watched Lindsey open gifts tonight without a single move to try to help her or open the gifts. I made sure she got lots of hugs and praise for being such a good little sister. Let's hope Lindsey can be just as polite when Marissa's birthday comes up in a few months.